La Luna Piena

On a Thursday night in Rome, I had the delight of dining at the home of a former New Yorker – a woman who has lived in Rome for some 23 years. Patricia has this fabulous house (yes house!! — it was probably a stable centuries ago) with a garden. Beautiful, che bella!

We sat outside in the garden listening to Miles Davis and some kind of Hungarian tango music under an avocado tree — all illuminated by the full moon. La Luna Piena.

The evening was organized by Patricia and my closest friend in Rome: Nina, a lovely Finnish woman with a wicked sense of humor. Patricia fixed us aperitivi of olives, a Parmigiano-like cheese from the Castello, grapes and Italian bread sticks to dip a soft cheese she mixed with a culinary concoction invented by her daughter’s boyfriend. Sidebar note: HE was described as a young man who could both build a house and invent a mix of eggplant and garlic that would replace aphrodisia for the gods.

You know how you can fill up on “starters” only to have the cook announce “dinner is ready”? Oh, dear. The wine flowed as we made our way from the garden to the dinner table inside. The meal of braised chicken thighs with shallots and peppers over a bed of couscous with sultanas garnered a culinary standing ovation. Limoncello and biscotti for dessert. Are you kidding? Burp.

The entire meal experience in a private Roman home was a highlight!

I followed the meal with a long passeggiata. While on this stroll, I took a picture under the sienna moonlight, and wondered at the romantic street names. In NYC its 13th Street. Or, Fifth Avenue. Here: Via del Neofiti and Via del Madonna dei Monti — hanging vines and all!